of German-Russian Children and Youth
By Alfred Opp, Vancouver, British Columbia
Edited by Connnie Dahlke, Walla Walla, Washington
The spiritual life of a child born to
German-Russian parents began when he or she was a
newborn. The first visit to church was for the infant's
"Taufe "(baptismal service) that was performed according
to the old traditions and customs brought to South
Russia from Germany. The service was scheduled in
consideration of the health of mother and child and
their ability to attend the service. Prior to the
baptismal service, a Godfather ("Dede") and Godmother
("Doda") were selected for the child by his parents.
It was the duty of the Godparents to be involved in
the spiritual upbringing of the child. Sometimes more
than two Godparents were chosen, if that was what
the parents wished.
We had no resident pastor in the village of Teplitz.
If the pastor was in attendance to preach for that
Sunday's church service, the baptismal service for
infants would then be held the same day the pastor
was in town. If no pastor was available, the baptismal
service was performed by a Sexton. If the Sexton was
not available, the "Kuester-Lehrer" (schoolteacher)
was qualified to step in on behalf of the Sexton.
In the early pioneer years a church Elder was always
available to perform such services - many of these
Elders were outstanding in their service to the community
and were sometimes more spiritual than the trained
During the baptismal service, the parents and the
Godparents all stood at the baptismal font. The baby,
whether boy or girl, was often attired in the family's
heirloom baptismal dress. Generally one of the Godmothers
held the infant while the Baptizer performed the ceremony.
If the child was not well, the midwife who had assisted
with the birth held the infant for the service. Baptisms
were family events and many relatives from the village
would attend. For the "Taufe," the presiding Pastor
(or Sexton or "Kuester-Lehrer ") dipped his hand into
the water of the Baptismal font, then touched the
forehead of the child to apply a little water onto
the infant. Songs relating to Baptism or to the spiritual
life of children were sung, songs such as "Dir Herr
sei dieses Kind empfohlen "(To You, Lord, we recommend
this child), "Ich bin getauft auf Deinen Namen "(I
have been baptized in Your name), or "In Dein Reich
soll ich O Vater kommen "(Into Your kingdom I shall
come, O Father). In the back of most Hymnals was a
section of readings for various occasions, and often
the spoken part of the service was from the baptismal
reading in the Hymnal. When an infant was very weak
at birth and not likely to survive long enough to
receive a standard baptism at the church, the village
Sexton or "Kuester-Lehrer" would be called to perform
an emergency baptism in the family home. Every child
who was baptized received a beautiful Baptismal Certificate
featuring artwork that depicted Jesus holding a little
lamb. These became heirloom treasures for the family.
Other than for private family services, infants and
very young children were not taken to regular church
services. Sometimes young children would be in attendance
at special events such as Easter, Christmas, baptism,
a funeral or confirmation services. Generally the
mother, grandmother, or other elderly relative living
in the home would stay at home on Sunday with the
very young children. In my family, my parents alternated
their church attendance so that one went to church
one week and the other went to church the next week.
Often a family had a "Madchen" (young woman) who served
as a family helper and thereby earned her room and
board and sometimes a small allowance - such a position
helped young women learn home-making skills and also
relieved their parents of an extra mouth at the table.
Part of the duty of the "Madchen" was to stay at home
with the young children while the parents and the
older children attended church. But even very young
children were always included in family festive events.
The basic religious training of young children began
in the home and was carried out by the parents or
grandparents. Family prayer at meals was customary,
and some mealtime prayers were short and easily learned
by young children. A parent, from time to time, would
discuss a spiritual lesson at the meal table, and
the reading of a scripture verse was common. My "Opa
"Zacher customarily gave a sermon to his family every
morning at the breakfast table. Prayer would again
be said at the supper table, and bedtime or evening
prayers ("Abend Andacht ") were routine, often following
a spiritual reading or passage from the Bible. In
some homes singing was part of or entirely the routine
for evening worship. Children were taught one or more
bedtime prayers from a young age. Common bedtime prayers
said by young children were "Lieber Heiland mach mich
fromm das ich in den Himmel komm" (Loving Savior,
grant to me entrance into heaven), or "Bewahre mich
vom allem Uebel und behuete mich "(Protect me from
all evil and bless me).
In Teplitz, even in 1940, few families had the funds
to purchase printed religious material prepared for
children or young people. Such things were available
but had to be imported. As a rule, we did not have
simplified Bible story books, religious magazines
or youth papers. Only a few families purchased memory-verse
cards; but every household did have at least one Bible,
a hymnal, one or two prayer books and usually a catechism.
If parents felt a child should memorize a Bible verse,
that was up to them - there was no organized program
by the church to encourage such memorization by children
or youth. Fortunate was the child who had a parent
or grandparent with a talent for telling Bible stories.
Most parents read straight from the Bible or from
one of the spiritual sections in the back of the hymnal.
Some Bibles, like the one my "Opa "Zacher possessed,
had nice illustrations that helped to hold a child's
Singing was often part of the religious training in
the home - German-Russians love to sing, and sing
we did.. Not all homes had an organ or piano, so often
the singing at home was "a cappella." Sometimes singing
was done as a family group in the home and sometimes
it was as a community group in church or preparing
for a special program. Sometimes the mother or grandmother
in the home would sing a song as she went about her
household chores. The singing of spiritual songs opened
the heart to God and gave a spiritual lift to the
day. The permeation of religion into the daily life
of most villagers is difficult for people to comprehend
today. Children and parents together lived a life
that was shaped by spiritual beliefs and activities.
The church was considered the center and foundation
of village life. Most community social functions were
attended by a church Elder or Sexton or sometimes
the Pastor when available. Such events were at least
closed with prayer and often opened with prayer as
well. As children grew and developed, they followed
the example of their parents in the home and in the
community. Religious upbringing was central to family
and community life and provided a very solid foundation
to guide the children and youth in all of life's activities.
When parents needed to consult with someone for guidance
about their child's religious instruction the Godparents
were always available as were many relatives, including
The religious instruction of children by the community
began when the child was old enough to attend school.
In the early days the Bible, the Hymnal and the Catechism
were the basic textbooks in the classroom to teach
reading, writing and content instruction, including
memorization of the subject matter. In the pioneer
years, a village Elder would teach Bible class at
the school. In later years, after 1865, the Sexton
might be the one to come and teach Bible class to
the school children. It was part of the school exercises
to prepare special church programs such as the Christmas
Eve program where students of all ages sang songs
and presented spoken pieces.
At about school age, children were also deemed old
enough to attend church, but there were no special
classes for children. Children sat with a parent or
grandparent in the main seating area of the church.
Since women sat on the left-hand side of the church
and men sat on the right-hand side of the church,
the child would sit wherever the parent or grandparent
sat. Youth who had been confirmed were allowed to
sit upstairs in the balcony, but always with the girls
in the left balcony and boys in the right balcony.
Since the organ was also situated in the balcony,
the organist (often the "Kuester-Lehrer") could keep
an eye on what went on. In addition, the pastor in
the elevated lectern could also observe what was happening,
especially on the boys' side of the balcony. If necessary,
a church Elder would have an otherwise unsupervised
youngster sit with him downstairs in the church. After
marriage, young people sat in the main seating area
of the church, not up in the balcony, but still the
women sat on the left side of the church and the men
on the right side of the church. After church, dinner
at home was a family affair. It was common practice
for older brothers or sisters who were on their own
to stop by their parents' home for Sunday dinner.
All children approaching graduation from seventh grade
were enrolled in "Konfirmanden Untericht "(Confirmation
classes). These were taught by the Sexton or "Kuester-Lehrer
"and generally were held at the school. "Konfirmation"
was held in the spring at the close of the school
year. The "Konfirmation "class was responsible for
decorating the church for the" Konfirmation "service.
Greenery and flowers were popular materials with which
to decorate the church. When the big day arrived,
the class dressed in their best outfits, the boys
wearing dark suits and the girls wearing white dresses
(after 1915) and often white veils. For my mother's
confirmation, her parents purchased a white dress
and white stockings for her to wear to the service
- it was rare to have purchased clothing in those
days, and not many families could afford such luxuries.
Godparents of the boys typically gifted their "Patekind"
with a pocket watch, a white shirt with a tie, an
embroidered handkerchief and socks.
Relatives of the "Konfirmation "class crowded the
church for the service. The "Konfirmation "ceremony
was always impressive and festive. Each candidate
for "Konfirmation" recited their "Lebens Spruch,"
a speech that had been prepared during their "Konfirmandin
Untericht "and replete with Bible passages that gave
their philosophy of life. Unfortunate was the young
person who failed to spend adequate time memorizing
their "Lebens Spruch" and then got stuck midway through
the speech with no words to say! At the end of the
service, each youth was presented with a hymnal with
their name embossed on the cover (paid for by the
parents), along with a "Konfirmations Urkunde, a".certificate
that was richly decorated with colorful religious
art work. People prized their confirmation certificates
and often hung them up in their bedrooms.
"Konfirmation" was the transition point between childhood
and young adulthood. Afterward, the confirmands would
gather at home with parents, grandparents, Godparents
and other close family members for a festive dinner.
The confirmed young person was presented with gifts
- each confirmed young person received several gifts
but some received more of some things than others.
After confirmation, the next life step for the young
person was to enter into an apprenticeship to learn
a trade, or to enroll in an advanced course of study
at a regional school if the family had enough money.
Each young person set about learning life skills needed
to prepare them to integrate into the communal life
of the village as a worthy and contributing citizen
of society. From an early age, each person was educated
to be a useful member of society, to respect others
and to be respected. This is the way our ancestors
had been raised, and they continued to pass on these
values as a proud part of our ancestral heritage.
Alfred Opp is the author of "Pawns
on the World Stage" - the memoirs of his
childhood in Teplitz, Bessarabia and the experiences
of his family in war-torn Europe (Poland during 1941-1945
before they fled to East Germany in 1945, then the
reconstruction of West Germany 1945-1955).